Abstract
The potential benefits of OER have led many European governments to implement policies supporting their creation and use. This article aims to put these OER policies in context, discussing their focus and scope and highlighting challenges and bottlenecks. On the basis of the analysis of the current state of the art, it is argued that one of main barriers to reaping the benefits of OER is fragmentation combined with a lack of clear and uniform legal frameworks. The recent European "Opening up Education" initiative is presented as a way to overcome these barriers by creating synergies and joining efforts across Europe.
Highlights
Education and training are changing radically all over the world
The European Commission (2013) Communication on "Opening up Education" follows a more comprehensive approach in which dedicated Open Educational Resources (OER) incentives are embedded in a broader strategy fostering the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for learning
According to a survey carried out by the European University Association (EUA) in 2013, the concept of Massive Open online Courses (MOOCs) is unknown in one third of the 200 European universities consulted and only another third has discussed the topic internally.[11]
Summary
Education and training are changing radically all over the world. The increasing demand for education in emerging economies, contrasts with the financial cuts being implemented in Europe. OER, as defined by UNESCO in 2002 are "teaching, learning or research materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution" According to this definition, OER do not exclusively refer to digital resources, the concept is usually restricted to ICT materials, as illustrated by the OECD definition (Hylen, Van Damme, Mulder, & D'Antoni, 2012). The promotion of OER can facilitate policy dialogue, knowledge sharing and collaboration between states and institutions at the pan-European level This is one of the reasons why the European Commission decided to take action and launch a dedicated initiative for "Opening up Education" in Europe. It highlights the main challenges that OER policies have to overcome and, presents and discusses the European "Opening up Education" initiative
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
